Comments (0)

By Jade, July 18, 2012 12:30 pm

Between the 9^th and 12^th of August this year, the 34^th Annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is set to take place. One of our largest Virgin hot air balloons will be there to whisk our passengers skywards on a Champagne balloon ride.

The first ever Bristol Balloon Fiesta took place in 1979 when a small gathering of like-minded balloonists came together to launch their balloons from Ashton Court. Onlookers were wowed by the mass ascent of 27 balloons and enjoyed many other flights that took place throughout the weekend. Since then, interest has increased in the Fiesta more and more each year, until gradually growing into what is now Europe’s largest annual hot air balloon festival.

Pilots from all parts of the UK and the rest of the world bring their balloons to Ashton Court to participate in the event. Recent fiesta’s have gathered over  100 hot air balloons of all shapes and sizes to entertain more than 500,000 spectators who attend the  three day event. Spectacular take-offs happen twice a day, one to enjoy the sunrise and one just in time for sunset. There are also two spectactular night glow events on the Thursday and Saturday evenings.

At Virgin, we’ve had some exciting flights at the fiesta such as a fantastic mid-air performance from singing sensation Beverley Knight who joined us last year for an exclusive performance for Virgin Red Room.

“I enjoyed every minute of the flight and really didn’t want it to end. It was nothing like I thought it would be because I expected to hear the wind and for it to be bumpier, but it was smooth, silent and so clear up there. I would love to do it all again tomorrow!” Beverley told us.

Virgin Balloon Flights pilot Mark Simmons, from nearby Melksham, is a regular participant at the famous balloon event.

He said, “Virgin Balloon Flights are set to take part in Bristol Balloon Fiesta this year and we’re delighted to be involved again because it’s a spectacular event and a real showcase for ballooning. I’m looking forward to it!”

This unique event provides tons of entertainment including fairground rides, daredevil motorcycle stuntmen, parachutists leaping from helicopters and of course amazing airborne antics from over 100 beautiful hot air balloons.

You can join Virgin and be a part of it all by purchasing a special Bristol Balloon Fiesta ride voucher for £180 per person. Existing customers can also take part by upgrading their existing voucher. Spaces are very limited and are available on a first come, first served basis, so don’t hesitate to book your flight now! Call our office on 0844 844 8080 for more information.

Comments (0)

By Jade, July 16, 2012 10:45 am

If you’re the curious type like ourselves, you’ve probably wondered how and why balloons fly? Well look no further, here are your answers.

A hot air balloon is a wonderful and unique way to travel. So, how does it work? The principle is simple; hot air rises. By heating the air inside the balloon with the burner, it becomes lighter than the cooler air on the outside, causing the balloon to float upwards. To land, the air inside is allowed to cool meaning the balloon slowly begins to descend.

There are three main types of balloons, the first is the Montgolfier type which uses fire to heat the air inside the balloon to gain lift. The second is the hybrid balloon which uses hot air in the same way, but also has a compartment of helium or hydrogen gas in the top. The final kind is a pure gas balloon which doesn’t use hot air and the altitude can only be controlled by dropping ballast or venting the gas. Hybrid and gas balloons are best used for longer distances as they require less fuel to stay airborne for extended periods of time. All of our balloons here at Virgin are the Montgolfier type.

Hot air balloons have three main components; the first is the balloon itself, also known as the ‘envelope’. The ‘envelope’ is a fabric bag made of a strong, light nylon with an opening at one end called the mouth. The biggest passenger balloon we hold is our Virgin ‘400’ balloon which towers over 120ft tall when inflated. Balloons are most commonly shaped like an ‘inverted tear drop’ but some brands do have ‘special shapes’ for advertising purposes. The second component is the basket which is connected to the balloon by strong metal cables. Our baskets have reinforced steel frames and are traditionally clad in woven wicker which is light, strong and durable. Our baskets hold between 10 and 16 passengers and are split into comfortable compartments for 3-4 people ensuring everyone has a fantastic view.

The final and perhaps most important part of the balloon is the ‘engine’ which is the burner that sits under the mouth of the balloon. The burner mixes liquid propane from pressurised gas tanks with oxygen and ignites it. The pilot pulls a small valve which fires the flame of the burner into the mouth of the balloon to heat the air inside. Our balloons have two burners; the ‘whisper burner’ is designed specially to be quieter and is used when flying over residential areas or livestock.

One of the most exciting bits about ballooning is that you’ll never take the same journey twice. As balloons cannot be steered in the normal sense, the wind your main guidance. The direction of the wind varies at different altitudes so pilots skilfully use this as a way of changing direction by burning to go up or cooling to go down so to catch different airstreams at different heights. This also means the landing point is always unknown until the pilot sees a safe open space to land, often in the countryside. The basket touches back on ground, sometimes with a bump, a skid and occasionally the basket can tip onto its side. This is all perfectly safe and normal and after a serene hour of floating in the skies, many people thoroughly enjoy the excitement of the landing!

Now you know how and why, but the only way to truly learn about hot air balloons is to experience it for yourself! So don’t hesitate, you can book your flight now for as little as £89pp.

Comments (1)

By Jade, July 4, 2012 1:05 pm

This season we’ve added some great new launch sites in Scotland, including Newton St Boswells, Kelso, Peebles, Bowhill Country Estate and most recently, Shieldhill Castle.

Shieldhill Castle sits in the romantic upper Clyde Valley, between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Prior to becoming the four star hotel it is today, the 800-year-old fortress was the seat of the Chancellor family who fled there from France during the time of the Norman Conquests. Recorded as one of the oldest families in the area, the Chancellors remained in the castle for over 750 years.

Placed in the rolling hills of the South Lanarkshire countryside, Shieldhill Castle serves as the perfect starting point for your balloon ride. The chance to fly over Biggar offers many spectacular sights below the balloon such as Dawyck Botanic Gardens, home to a copse of trees, some over 40 metres tall. You may glide over the 10 acre Biggar Park Garden where you’ll see long stretches of herbaceous borders, shrubberies, fruit and vegetables and even the Japanese garden among other eye-catching features.

Although placed in a beautiful rural area, the small market town of Biggar is busy as ever. Depending on the time of year you travel, you may catch one of the many events that take place in the town’s show field such as the agricultural show or the vintage car rally. Other likely spots from the sky are Moat Park Heritage Centre and Lamington Chapel, just two of Biggar’s six museums.

Whichever way the wind takes you, you’ll be sure to have an enchanting journey, viewing the charming Scottish landscape from a unique perspective.

To book your flight from Shieldhall Castle or any of our other launch sites, just visit our website or call our office on 0844 844 8080. If you haven’t already got your ticket, you can buy one from as little as £89pp.

Comments (0)

By Jade, June 19, 2012 2:24 pm

One of our new customer service representatives, Shaun, recently took to the skies above Shropshire for the first time aboard one of our lovely balloons. Here’s what he had to say about his Virgin Balloon Flights experience…

“When starting with Virgin Balloon Flights in March 2012 I was excited by the prospect that I may be able to take balloon flight. I am the kind of person who loves to experience new and unique things, and for me the opportunity of taking a balloon flight is a once in a lifetime chance.

I booked onto a Telford flight with Pilot Lindsay Muir and as I have a fear of heights, I did a little research on the pilot and found I was in more than capable hands as Lindsay is one of the UK leading female balloon pilots. The night before my flight I couldn’t wait for 11pm to come round so I could call the flight line. The message from the pilot had said the flight WAS going ahead! Even though I knew EXACTLY where it was I still used my Sat Nav to get me there… there was no way I was going to miss this flight!!!

I was impressed with the launch site as we were on the actual golf course surrounded by beautiful large oak trees. I genuinely could not have imagined how big the balloon was going to be! I took photo after photo trying to demonstrate how big the balloon was, the tall, solid oak trees looked tiny in comparison!

During take-off, Lindsay was very good and precise with her instruction. She made us feel at ease and we felt very secure in her capable hands.  As we launched, I was snapping away with my camera as we floated into the air. We were seeing some wonderful sights, everyone was smiling and happy.

We flew over some fantastic sights; I live in Telford and was genuinely ignorant to its beauty. We flew over the River Severn and caught some wonderful views of the Telford Ironbridge. After we had been flying for around 20 minutes, I had lost track of where we were but Lindsay was on hand with her map to tell us what to look out for; the whole flight lasted around 1 hour 20 minutes.

Once we landed, we were rewarded with a refreshing goblet of champagne. I had previously thought I would turn the champagne down at the end of my experience but as everyone else had some it would have been rude not to! Everyone regaled to one another about how the balloon flight had exceeded their expectations.

Ballooning is something I would do again and again! I think for my next booking I would try the Shrewsbury launch site, though to be honest I would fly from any launch site as I know all of our 100+  locations are brilliant.

Thank you very much Virgin Balloon Flights!”

By Shaun Howells

You too can experience hot air ballooning from Telford or any of our other launch sites with Virgin Balloon Flights from as little as £89pp, simply call our office on 0844 844 8080 or visit our website virginballoonflights.co.uk

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, March 2, 2012 6:03 pm

73 year old Eddie Montague of Stalham, Norfolk, proved there is no time for being too serious in your seventies when he sent in a teddy adventure photograph to Virgin Balloon Flights.

On their 20ft Viking Cruiser boat on the river Ant in Stalham, Eddie and his wife, also 73, were off for a picnic when something caught their eye. Of course it was one of our big red balloons on the skyline …

“I managed to get the boat into the right position to get the reflection of the balloon and as I always have my camera with me I took 2 or 3 photos.”

So why the Photoshopping?

“In the Stalham Town Hall every Tuesday two ladies of about my age have a charity Tombola stall and the prizes are always soft toys. We invariably win something so as a bit of fun I photograph the toys I win in a holiday or sporting type of environment (surfing, skiing etc.) and make it into a postcard to pass back on to the ladies. It’s become a regular ritual. Who says you can’t have fun in your seventies? So that was the card for the Tombola ladies from “Teddy and Giraffe” on a balloon ride!”

We just love it Eddie, and your sense of humour has brightened up our Friday here at Virgin Balloon Flights and we’re pleased to hear all 6 of your grandchildren enjoyed the shots!

We have a fabulous new launch site in Norfolk for the 2012 season called Old Buckenham Airfield and flights are available from as little as £99 per person! Simply call 0844 8448080 or visit www.virginballoonflights.co.uk to book.

Comments (0)

By Eve, March 1, 2012 12:36 pm

Today is the day that all pilots, crew and staff at Virgin Balloon Flights have been waiting for since the end of the 2011 flying season – it’s the first day of the 2012 hot air balloon ride flying season – hooray!

Up and down the UK our pilots and crew have been busy primping and preening their balloons and baskets over the last few months in preparation for what we hope will be a record year of balloon rides for Virgin Balloon Flights.

This season we have some lovely new pilots, balloons and exciting new launch sites to add to our already impressive collection. Take a look at our spectacular Dogmersfield launch site in Hampshire for example which launches from the stunningly beautiful Four Seasons Hotel. If there’s an aviation enthusiast in your family then a balloon ride from Old Buckenham Airfield in Norfolk is the perfect launch site to choose.

With Mother’s Day hot on our heels and the Diamond Jubilee to celebrate this year we’re hoping to see lots of new faces in our baskets.

So instead of looking up at our big red balloons flying gracefully through the skies and dreaming of what a fabulous view its passengers must have – come and join us up here for a very special journey you’ll remember forever.

See you soon!

Balloon Ride Prices | Balloon Ride Video | The Ballooning Experience | Balloon Launch Locations

Comments (1)

By Kirsty, February 29, 2012 12:41 pm

There’s nothing better than letting Mum know just how much you care and Mother’s Day is the perfect way to celebrate maternal bonds and honour motherhood. For hundreds of years throughout the world, festivals and revelries have taken place to celebrate the influence of mothers in society and give people an excuse to simply spoil their Mum.

Virgin Balloon Flights have a range of gifts for Mother’s Day from less than a fiver and we’re currently offering a whopping 30% off our hot air balloon rides!

So whether you choose luxury Virgin Balloon Flights Champagne truffles at £3.49, a sparkling wine and chocolates hamper reduced from £29.99 to £24.99 or a balloon ride itself from as little as £89 per person, we’ll make sure Mum gets an experience of a lifetime.

Make the gift that little bit extra special this Mother’s Day and present Mum’s luxury hot air balloon ride vouchers in a Balloon in a Box for just £14.99… what more could she want?!

With flights from over 100 launch sites in England, Scotland and Wales, Mum’s adventure is never too far from home.

Call us now on 0844 8448080 or visit virginballoonflights.co.uk

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, February 22, 2012 2:50 pm

Just a few weeks ago Virgin Balloon Flights were talking to Virgin Managements’ Sustainability team and were given an excellent new idea to support up-cycling….

Made In Forest Hills, an up-cycling Bow Tie business in New York, was started not so long ago by Nicholas Tee Ruiz. His bespoke, unique and beautifully design bow ties are all made from waste material and can certainly start a trend!

Helen Craig Virgin’s sustainability specialist asked Nicholas about his inventive ideas:

What inspired you to include recycled materials into your designs? How did it all start?
I met singer Janelle Monáe in November 2010 and we chatted about her music video "Tightrope”, in which she wears this fantastic oversized bow tie.  This sparked my idea to search NYC for a unique bow tie that represented me.  Hitting dead ends, I decided to just sit down at my kitchen table and create one of my own.  That table has put up a good fight in the past year, my tools and I haven’t exactly been its best friend.  The occasion for my first bow tie was The Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition opening of Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914.  Inspired by Mr. Picasso and wanting to look sharp for the event, I hand crafted my first bow tie out of multi-coloured guitar picks, which I found buried in the closet of my uncle’s apartment, a wooden hanger, and super glue.

How did you move on from there?
My project, Made in Forest Hills started off as a sustainable way to look dapper for events at MoMA, where I work in Special Programming & Events.  The response from friends and colleagues was great, and they encouraged me to continue re-purposing everyday materials into works of wearable art.  I challenged myself to construct 11 bow ties designed around the major exhibition openings and benefit events orchestrated at the Museum that year.  These became: The Bow Tie Collection.  My bow ties were inspired by talks with curatorial colleagues, artist research, gut feelings, and my technical studies.  Benefit events allowed more freedom as I was not constrained but challenged to interpret the events in a creative way.  The pieces in the Collection range from looping film negatives with images of scenes from Pedro Almodóvar movies for MoMA’s fourth annual Film Benefit, to a LEGOS® bow tie for The Armory Show 2011 after-party, and a wine corks bow tie from the restaurants of my favourite chef, Jose Garces for the German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse exhibition opening.  The bow ties have style and design influences from the art in the correlating exhibitions and also a sustainable aspect because all of the materials were found and recycled from my day-to-day life.  Leftover chandelier crystals from a neighbourhood lighting store became the bow tie for Party in the Garden 2011 and I even crafted computer wires, circuit boards, and a working QR code into a bow tie for Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects.

What plans do you have for the future? What materials are you looking to re-use?
For my next Collection, I will be making 100 different bow ties constructed from fun and found resources.  I want this Collection to be participatory for the fans of my first Collection, so I’m asking people to supply me with materials that they would like to see made into a bow tie.  You hand me a box of old cocktail stirrers, you’re gonna see cocktail stirrers like never before!  I’m not giving myself rules or guidelines, I really want to push the artistic craft and hopefully educate about sustainability along the way.  I don’t want to restrict myself to a specific size, or a certain form – the sky’s the limit.  I just hope none of the submitted materials require dry ice… if so, we may need to chat.

After seeing Nicholas’ fantastic work, we decided we wanted a slice of this super cool up-cycling action so we’re sending him some fabric from a retired hot air balloon envelope. Keep your eyes peeled on our blog for the final design!

Of course this isn’t the first time we’ve done a bit of up-cycling. We previously teamed up with Worn Again to create a range of up-cycled products, including the "cheeky sling bag" which is still available to purchase on our Virgin Balloons website.

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, December 15, 2011 6:42 pm

“As the Virgin Unite Insider for Virgin Balloon Flights, the opportunities to use ‘business as a force for good’ are endless. When the chance of going to South Africa with Sir Richard Branson and his connection trip guests came my way courtesy of Virgin Unite, of course I grabbed it by the (Buffalo) horns and got packing!

A jam packed schedule allowed me to meet some of the most inspiring, motivated and dedicated people I’ve met in my lifetime; The Branson Centre Entrepreneurs, Jean Oelwang (The CEO of Virgin Unite), Dr Taddy Blecher (a pioneer of the free education movement in South Africa) and of course Sir Richard himself alongside his business mogul guests.

After a long flight with the superb Virgin Atlantic, a hotel check in and a stimulating meet and greet, I accompanied Jean, the connection trip guests and the Virgin Unite team to Newtown arriving at the Sophiatown Restaurant where we were delighted by African cuisine and guest speaker Dr Taddy Blecher. Post lunch we marvelled at Inner City Craft Initiatives and met ‘Prince’ an up and coming South African jeweller who designed & created the most interesting pieces of ‘junk’ jewellery. Who can resist a bracelet made out of a fork?!

From here we crossed townships to Constitution Hill. By far one of Johannesburg’s most moving sights. Originally a fort during the Boer War it later became an infamous prison housing many of South Africa’s most well-known resistance leaders and is now home to the Constitutional Court of South Africa. After a quick change we headed off to the Orient Restaurant and chatted over exquisite Chinese food before listening to more inspiring guest speakers.

Early the next morning guests enjoyed breakfast with Sir Richard before we travelled to Mzansi Designers Studio to meet Lesego Malatsi (a previous Branson centre entrepreneur) and saw his fashion house in full swing. We were later treated to seeing his first boutique shop in Maponya Mall too. We also experienced another previous Branson Centre entrepreneurs thriving business in Diepkloof, Soweto. A recycling plant started by Tshepo Nawane.

Inspired once more by the sheer determination and drive to create employment for local communities and to start businesses from scratch, we chatted to both Lesego and Tshepo en route to the grand opening of the Virgin Active Gym in Maponya. Greeted with steel drums, stilt walkers and Sir Richard, this feast of colour and sound gave the gym opening the atmosphere it most definitely deserved.

Departing the swanky new gym we lunched at Velo and chatted with Marious Minnie, the CEO of Southpoint and a partner and investor of the Branson Centre (BC) before crossing over to the BC to offer mentoring to the current entrepreneurs.

The pièce de résistance of the day was of course the Screw Business As Usual booklaunch at ‘Randlords’ where Richard spoke about his book alongside African children’s choirs and pure cultured entertainment. You can see my video montage of the #SBAU book launch here on our YouTube page.

After supper and wine back at the hotel with Richard and guests, it was off to bed before an early start to wave off the guests, Richard and Jean to Ulusaba for the next step of their trip. You can see Richards Blog about their game drive here. I spent my last day in South Africa with some of the Virgin Media Pioneers sightseeing and taking in some of South Africa’s most beautiful animals.

THANK YOU to Virgin Unite, Sir Richard, Jean and the rest of the team for the most amazing experience of my life. A trip I will treasure in my heart forever.”

Kirsty x